Teachers Share their Experiences While Living Abroad!

My favorite season has arrived! It is finally Summer in Korea! The season is short-lived in Northern Asia, as Winters are long and seasonal changes occur frequently. Catching some days in the sun is imperative to surviving Korea’s long brutal Winter months.

One of the longest breaks you will have as a ChungDahm teacher is during the Korean holiday of Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving). The other major holiday would be Seollnal (Lunar New Years). Whenever these holidays approach, I always take the time to leave the city. In times past, I’ve visited Malaysia, Manila, and Busan. We have had teachers visit Hong Kong and Thailand during this long vacation too. This year, I decided to take time and go to a place that I had been to before but never got a really chance to explore. This place I decided to go back to was Jeju.

Summers in Korea are quite active! People are outside and using the long days to fit in as many activities as possible. Luckily, this summer Busan has not experienced a heavy rainy season, often called monsoon season. So I have had many opportunities to do outdoor activities after work or on the weekends, without fear of getting rained out. The best part about many of the outdoor things you can do while teaching in Korea is that they are free!

Korea does not come to mind, when I think of white sand beaches and blue sunny skies. However, with a little bit of digging during my time teaching in Korea, I discovered that Korea does indeed have white sand beaches and places that have a beach culture. Coming from South Africa myself I decided to search for a piece of Summer paradise by traveling and experiencing various places in Korea. Over the years, I fell in love with a few beaches in Korea that are situated in various provinces all over the country and have come to choose my favorite beaches according to my mood and vibe I would like to enjoy during a weekend getaway.

The ITU World Triathlon Championships was held this past weekend in Tongyeong. Every year,Olympic triathletes and professional athletes travel to South Korea to race in the beautiful city with scenic views. A friend of mine was racing in the event and I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to experience a region of Korea I haven’t ventured to before.

One of the greatest things about teaching and living abroad is traveling. Korea is one of the easiest countries to travel around. With some of the most efficient transport systems in the world, you can visit great cities and experience awesome weekend getaways conveniently.

Thanks to the welcomed influx of extra cash from Chungdahm summer intensives, I’ve been enjoying a bit of a travel binge as of late. And by travel binge I mean I’ve ventured out of the city the past two weekends, but hey I never said I was the next Anthony Bourdain. Anyway, this past weekend I headed out to Boryeong (yes, the Mud Fest place) to celebrate my friend’s upcoming nuptials, and what better way to celebrate than by packing 13 dudes into a pension house? Nothing like a nice bro-fest to really make you miss your fiancé! But all hilarious joking aside, kicking back at a pension house is one of the best ways to spend a weekend here in South Korea.

The concept of the pension house is not a type of lodging that is exactly common in the United States, but here they are quite prevalent. The pension house is an excellent compromise for the pampered vacationer and the avid outdoorsman, providing a happy medium with a roof over your head but without the frills of an actual hotel. Essentially, it is like renting a partially furnished house for the weekend.

Much like in my past life at university when I was sucked into the “Elon bubble,” all too often I find myself stuck in the pleasant and comforting confines of the “Daejeon bubble.” But sometimes I feel like I am in an old Southwest Airlines commercial and I just need to get away. With Chuseok offering the first three-day break of my Chungdahm career, I felt I needed to seize the chance to get out of Dodge so to speak. So a couple of friends and I took a well-deserved trip to Busan to soak up some rays and take in the sights of Korea’s most famous beach city.

Gangwondo Province surprised me. After living in Korea for three years I thought I had seen it all. Gangwondo was very different to the usual countryside hills and rice paddy plains. It was mountainous and green, and had a surprisingly different farming atmosphere. Instead of rice, there was copious amounts of potatoes, and instead of bulgogi, there was delicious octopus stir-fry. I enjoyed seeing the rocky mountain tops and the sea below while driving on a winding mountain pass. Not only is the province beautiful, but it is also rich with lots of adventurous activities. Hiking, beaches, temple stays, white river rafting, winter skiing, and casinos!

Did you know that Korea has over 3,000 islands off its coasts? Did you know that dozens of these are right off the coast of Incheon? I haven't spent nearly enough time exploring the islands in my area, so I decided that I needed to make up for lost time. The long weekend for the Chuseok holiday seemed like a perfect opportunity to spend time on a beach, so some friends and I headed off to Muuido, one of Incheon's most popular islands, for some quality relaxation time.